That sort of depends. Some things go on sale at certain times of year (tanks), and it also depends on the size of tank, amount and type of decor, type of thermometer, etcetera. What are you thinking of using?

Yeah I had a ton of help with mine. Puff came with lights owls and 40 gal tank everything + him was $100. So then I made him a new custom tank. Old dresser I found for $35, tiles got for free from my dad. He does tenant fit outs for offices so he always gets things for me they were just going to throw out. Also got a light fixture from lowes 4' for $13. reptisun bulbs @petmountain were around $14. Everything else came with him or I made out of Styrofoam witch was dirt cheap like 4'x8' sheet was $8. Minwax polycrylic water-based sealer was the most expensive of all. Something like $12 for 12oz but cheaper the more you buy. I got a 32oz can for $16 per Home Depot. Grout was like $10 for 10lbs. If your only making one or two things you will only need like 2-3 lbs probably. I got 10 cause I made a hide, making walls for the entire thing and who knows what else I'll try. So overall I didn't spend much at all mostly just time learning how to and that stuff.

Oh yeah bought a timer that has 6 plugs, 3 for the timer and 3 live. Was an outside timer by Brinks was like $16 I think. I got a clamp lamp that was around $8 and a 75 watt spot light was around $12

triumphtt wrote:Yeah I had a ton of help with mine. Puff came with lights owls and 40 gal tank everything + him was $100. So then I made him a new custom tank. Old dresser I found for $35, tiles got for free from my dad. He does tenant fit outs for offices so he always gets things for me they were just going to throw out. Also got a light fixture from lowes 4' for $13. reptisun bulbs @petmountain were around $14. Everything else came with him or I made out of Styrofoam witch was dirt cheap like 4'x8' sheet was $8. Minwax polycrylic water-based sealer was the most expensive of all. Something like $12 for 12oz but cheaper the more you buy. I got a 32oz can for $16 per Home Depot. Grout was like $10 for 10lbs. If your only making one or two things you will only need like 2-3 lbs probably. I got 10 cause I made a hide, making walls for the entire thing and who knows what else I'll try. So overall I didn't spend much at all mostly just time learning how to and that stuff.

Oh yeah bought a timer that has 6 plugs, 3 for the timer and 3 live. Was an outside timer by Brinks was like $16 I think. I got a clamp lamp that was around $8 and a 75 watt spot light was around $12

Don't forget to take the food into account. Many people will understate the expense to feed these guys, especially when they are babies and need lots of protein. I spend about $70 a month on feeders for our baby (trying to offset that with a roach colony but that's going very slowly), hoping as he gets older that will lessen a bit. My son wanted a second beardie and I said no way...!When researching costs for set up I took my son to petsmart and priced everything brand new just for comparison sake - bare setup with 40g tank, fixtures, substrate, thermometer, etc. full price around $260. Petsmart guy told me to go on craigslist and find it WAY cheaper which we ended up doing

Look for a store in your area that has stuff that's donated. The town I live in is York and it's called restore york & resource York. Two locations but people just donate stuff and sometimes it's really cheap. They have just about everything from handles and old toys to furniture. If we had a house that had this beautiful kitchen set (think like 5 parts full kitchen) for $3000 and it was BRAND NEW!

On the food I started breeding super worms. I have about 20 beetles right now. Also a colony of Dubia's that started about 100 and has exploded to probably 200 but I just checked yesterday probably about 2/3 are full grown females so I'm sure that number is going to go through the roof very quickly. I am also going to buy some Horn and Silk worms today and maybe in the spring look to breed them. I only have Puff but I rather be able to sell of the extras and make some money then have to spend it. The supers and Dubia's arn't hard at all to breed. My son helps me feed them and stuff and he can tell me what they need now and he's 3.

BeardieGrandma wrote:Don't forget to take the food into account. Many people will understate the expense to feed these guys, especially when they are babies and need lots of protein. I spend about $70 a month on feeders for our baby (trying to offset that with a roach colony but that's going very slowly), hoping as he gets older that will lessen a bit. My son wanted a second beardie and I said no way...!When researching costs for set up I took my son to petsmart and priced everything brand new just for comparison sake - bare setup with 40g tank, fixtures, substrate, thermometer, etc. full price around $260. Petsmart guy told me to go on craigslist and find it WAY cheaper which we ended up doing

I know that guys eat a lot that's why I started my dubia colony months ago.

The best thing to do is give yourself a month or two to get everything together - look for deals, promotions, and used equipment. Pricing is different wherever you go, but if you really work at it I'll bet you could get a set-up for well under $150. I got a 40 gallon breeder with lights on kijiji for $85. You also don't have to buy all the fancy accessories right off the bat. You can use newspaper for substrate, tupperware lids for food and water dishes, a cardboard box for a hide, and a get basking rock from outside. The only thing to not skimp on is the UVB light and calcium/vitamin supplements - get those from the store($20-$40). It may not look great, but your beardie will be fine. Plus, you can always add to it bit by bit.